Car-coupling



(No Model.)

A; 0 McGORD. GAR OOUPLING No. 494,219. Patented Mar 28,1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALVIN CARR MCGORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

' CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,219, dated March28, 1893.

Application filed June 6, 1892- Serial No. 435,672. (No model.)

To whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALVIN CARR MoCoRD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Car-Couplers;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains'to make and use the same.

My invention relates to automatic car-couplers.

The invention is in the same line as my former patents, N 0. 438,275,original issued of date October 14, 1890, and reissued of date February2, 1892, under Reissue No. 11,220, and Patent N 0. 454,406, issued ofdate June 16, 1891; and is also in the same line with my two pendingapplications, Serial No. 392,361, filed of date May 11, 1891, andallowed of date February 24, 1892, and Serial No. 422,006, filed of dateFebruary 18, 1892. In all these prior 'cases, one peculiar feature of mycouplerconsisted in the fact that the coupling hook was unlocked andthrown open bya continuation of one and the same movement.

My present invention is directed to an improved construction for thispurpose.

The invention will be hereinafter fully described and-be particularlydefined in the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my improved coupler. Therein likeletters referring to like parts throughout, Figure 1 is a plan view ofthe coupler, some parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionon the lineXX of Fig. 1,1ooking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 3 isan elevation of the lock detached, looking at its face. Fig. 4 is across section of the lock, on the line Y Y of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is across section of the tail of the coupling hook, on the line Z Z of Fig.1.

A is the draw-bar-body, and B B the coupler head, of the well-knownstandard twin jaw type.

C is the coupling hook pivoted to the part B of the coupler head by thefulcrum pin 0. This coupling hook is also of the standard type and isotherwise known as the pivoted beak and as the knuckle. The extendedtail-piece of the coupling hook has at its rear end a cam surface 0,formed by cutting away a part of the tail piece, for co-operation withthe corresponding cam surface d, on the inner 55 front corner of thelock or pin D, for lifting the lock and permitting the tail-piece of thecoupling-hook to pass behind the same and be secured by the lock in thecoupling action. The lock D is provided on its face with a verticallyextended recess or slot d, open at its lower outer end and provided onits inner side Wall with a cam surface 01 E is a rod loosely seated inthe coupler-head and having an angularly extended inner end e, workingin the slot d of the lock D, subject to the action of the cam-surface dand having an angularly extended outer end e, working in a seat 0'formed on the knuckle. This rod E constitutes an opening device for thecoupling hook or knuckle.

The action is as follows :-Suppose the coupling-hook is in its closedposition. When the lock D is lifted, it will first release the couplinghook and then bring the cam surface d into action on the extended end 8of the rod E, thereby drawing the said rod toward the guard-arm B of thecoupler head and throwing the coupling hook or knuckle into its openposition. In this movement of the lock D, the projecting end e of therod E, rides along the vertical inner wall of the slot d until itreaches the dotted line position, shown in Fig. 3. At this point, thepin will have been raised sufficiently far to clear the heel piece ofthe coupling-hook. The hook or knuckle is then, of course, released andis free to revolve on its fulcrum pin 0'. Hence, on the continued uppermovement of the lock D, the end 6 of the rod E will be compelled to ridealong the cam surface 01 and pass out at the open end of the slot orrecess d. In this camming action, the knuckle is opened as beforestated. When the lock is again dropped into its seat by the operator,the inner end e of the rod E will enter the opening at the lower end ofthe recess or slot at and ride along the outer vertical wall of the sameand remain at the upper outer corner of thesaid recess, until thecoupling hook is again closed. When this closing movement of thecoupling hook occurs, the lock will be lifted by the cam action betweenthe tail of the coupling hook and the lower inner corner of the lock, asbefore stated,

permitting the tail piece to pass behind the lock and be securedthereby. In this closing movement, the inner end of the rod E will be Itwill, of course,be understood, that a lift-,

ing rod or other device for the same purpose will be applied to the headof the lock and be arranged for operation, either from the side of thecar, the top of the car, or from both, as may be desired. As-theselifting devices are well-known and in general use, it has not beendeemed necessary to show the same, for the purposesof this case. A rodor chain connection is readily made to the head D of the lock D.

It should be especially noted, that the rod or hook opening device E isloosely seated. Hence, if the same should become broken, no interferencewould occur with either the coupling or uncouplingaction. It may, ofcourse, be omitted or dispensed with, without any change of the otherparts.

The chief point of novelty is, as before stated, the construction bywhich the knuckle is opened, by a continuation of the same motion whichraises the lock to effect the release of the coupling hook. Inaddition'to this advantage, the design is such as to give, incidentalthereto, a better distribution of the metal between the coupler head andthe knuckle and a more uniform wearing surface between the knuckle andthe lock. This latter fact is due to the radial arrangement of thebearingsurfaces of the lock and the tailpiece of the knuckle, withrespect to the pivoted center or fulcrum of the said knuckle.

Thecoupler is extremely simple and cheap to make, and is very strong anddurable in service.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is as follows:

1. In an automatic car coupler, the combination with the coupler-headand pivoted knuckle, of a lock, for the knuckle, having a cam surfaceadapted to be brought into action by a continuation of the locksreleasing movement, and an intermediate rod or direct connectionsubject, at one end, to the action of said cam, and connected at itsother end, to said knuckle, at a point eccentric to the knuckle pivot;whereby, after the release, the continued movement of the lock willforce 'theknuckle open by a direct strain.

lock recessed or slotted and provided with a cam-surface on one wall ofthe slot, and a hook opening rod having its inner end working in thesaid slot or recess subject to the action of said cam-surface, and itsouter end seated in the coupling-hook, whereby the lift of the lock willfirst release and then open the hook, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the coupler-head of the pivoted coupling-hook 0having the cam-surface c on its tail-piece, the vertically sliding lockD having the cam surface d on its inner lower corner for co-operationwith the cam-surface on the tail-piece of the coupling-hook, in theclosing action, and provided on its face with the open ended recess dhaving the cam-surface 61 and the hook opening rod E loosely seated inthe coupler-head having its inner end working in said recess d of thelock and its outer end working in the seat 0 on the coupling hook,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALVIN CARR MoOORD.

Witnesses:

GEO. S. J EWELL, CHAS. H. KING.

